This invention relates to a connector for electrically connecting female and male terminals together, and more particularly to a connector in which wear of contact portions of the female and male terminals due to vibration is reduced.
A connector, used, for example, in the wiring of a vehicle such as an automobile, undergoes vibration developing during the travel of the vehicle, and contact portions of female and male terminals are worn by such vibration, and in some cases the electrical connection becomes defective. Therefore, there is known a conventional connector in which relative motion between female and male connector housings, fitted together, is suppressed so as to reduce wear of contact portions of female and male terminals which rub against each other (see, for example, JP-A-2002-198127 (Pages 3 to 4, FIGS. 4 and 6)).
As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the connector 100, disclosed in JP-A-2002-198127, comprises the female connector housing 102 holding the male terminals 103, and the male connector housing 104 receiving the female terminals 101 for electrical connection to the respective male terminals 103. The male connector housing 104 includes an inner housing 106 which holds the female terminals 101, and is fitted into a hood portion 105 of the female connector housing 102, and an outer housing 107 of a generally square tubular shape formed around the inner housing 106. The male connector housing 104 is formed into an integral construction.
Limitation projections 108 are formed on an inner surface of the hood portion 15 of the female connector housing 102, and these limitation projections 108 contact an outer surface of the inner housing 106 of the male connector housing 104 inserted and fitted in the hood portion 105. As a result, relative motion of the female and male connector housings 102 and 104 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of fitting of these connector housings to each other is suppressed.
A lock arm 109 is formed on the outer housing 107 of the male connector housing 104, and this lock arm 109 is retainingly engaged with an engagement projection of the female connector housing 102. As a result, the rearward movement of the male connector housing 104 in the fitting direction is prevented, so that the fitted condition of the female and male connector housings 102 and 104 is maintained.
To reduce a load applied to the female and male terminals is effective in reducing wear of the contact portions of the female and male terminals due to vibration. However, in the connector 100 disclosed in JP-A-2002-198127, the inner housing 106 of the male connector housing 104, holding the female terminals 101, is formed integrally with the outer housing 107. Therefore, when vibration is applied to the connector 100, so that relative motion between the mutually-fitted female and male connector housings occurs, the overall weight of the male connector housing 104 is applied as a load directly to the female and male terminals 101 and 103.
And besides, the limitation projections 108 in the connector 100, disclosed in JP-A-2002-198127, suppress the relative motion in the direction perpendicular to the fitting direction, but is less effective in suppressing the relative motion in the fitting direction. As a result of this fact, along with the fact that the overall weight of the male connector housing 104 is applied as a load, there is a fear that wear of the female and male terminals 101 and 103 due to vibration is not sufficiently reduced.
Furthermore, when the limitation projections 108 in the connector 100, disclosed in JP-A-2002-198127, are used for a long period of time, there is a fear that these limitation projections 108 are worn by relative motion of the female and male connector housings 102 and 104 in the fitting direction, and there is also a fear that relative motion of the female and male connector housings 102 and 104 in the direction perpendicular to the fitting direction also occurs.